Mumbai: A team of Nashik police has arrived in Mumbai to arrest Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader and former minister Manikrao Kokate. After completing the required legal formalities at the local police station, the Nashik police team reached Bandra police station and later proceeded to Lilavati Hospital in Bandra West.
Arrest Warrant Issued by Nashik Court
Kokate’s troubles escalated after an arrest warrant was issued against him by the Nashik District and Session court. Following the warrant, Kokate was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Bandra West, where he is reportedly undergoing treatment in the ICU. A 13-member Nashik police team, comprising ten constables and three officers, has come to Mumbai to execute the arrest.
The police will decide on further action after reviewing Kokate’s current medical report and consulting expert doctors. Sources said that informing the Mumbai Police was not mandatory as the arrest is being carried out on the basis of a court order. However, further action against Kokate will depend on his medical condition and the doctors’ advice.
Why is Manikrao Kokate in trouble?
Around 30 years ago, Manikrao Kokate allegedly obtained a flat in an upscale area of Nashik city by showing a lower income and claiming to belong to the low-income group. Kokate, along with his brother Vijay Kokate, Popat Sonawane and Prashant Govardhane, secured flats in Nirman View Apartments at Canada Corner under the Chief Minister’s quota meant for the economically weaker section.
In February 2025, the Nashik District Court convicted Manikrao Kokate in the case. He challenged the verdict in the Nashik Sessions Court, which upheld the conviction and sentence. Kokate has since approached the Bombay High Court.
Following the court’s verdict, Kokate, who was a member of the Maharashtra cabinet, submitted his resignation to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. A day after the arrest warrant was issued by the Nashik District and Sessions Court and Kokate lost all his ministerial portfolios, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accepted his resignation and forwarded it to Governor Acharya Devvrat on Thursday.
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